One Year
by denpa wave chick saki
Summary: In which Galinda finds that her green roommate cannot wrap a present to save her life.


**Been a while since one of these, yes?**

"Why… won't… you… fold… right?"

This was the scene Galinda stumbled upon when she entered their room: Elphaba fighting with a box and a roll of wrapping paper. Little bits of the paper littered the floor and there were several bits in Elphaba's dark hair as well. Tape stuck to her sleeves and her glasses were in danger of falling off her nose.

"Elphie… what are you doing?" the blonde asked, trying to keep herself from giggling terribly much.

"I am attempting to wrap this present," the green girl growled back, giving the paper a particularly hard crease.

"Oh, you're going about it all wrong. You act as though you've never wrapped a present be—" Galinda stopped short when she realized that it could very well be possible that Elphaba never had wrapped a present before. "Here… let me help." She moved to sit beside Elphaba, taking off all the destroyed paper. She pulled a fresh sheet from the roll and cut it off before she began the process of wrapping.

"I feel like a fool…" Elphaba said, straightening her glasses and beginning the process of removing the paper bits and tape from her clothing.

"It's all right. Wrapping is an art, Elphie. You have to have the right touch," Galinda said as she taped one side with a flourish.

"Perhaps you should have included wrapping in your popular lesson."

"One does not need wrapping to be popular. And what is this for anyway? Or whom, really."

Elphaba turned slightly darker green, which Galinda had come to recognize as a blush. "Well… it's for someone I've known for one year now… well, someone who has been my friend for a year, which is really an accomplishment for me."

"Oh?" Galinda said, but her heart was starting to quicken. Had it been a year since she and Elphaba had become friends? The blonde tried to think back, but couldn't remember.

"Um… Galinda?"

The blonde realized that she had been staring at Elphaba. She cleared her throat and turned her attention to the side she was folding. "A-and this person is…?"

"Just someone special. Someone who is very dear to me… in fact, I can't imagine my life without them."

"It sounds like Miss Elphaba the Delirious is in love," Galinda teased, trying to ignore her own racing heart.

"N-no!" Elphaba said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I mean… I wouldn't know… having never been in love before."

Galinda nodded, her heart trilling at the thought that_ she_ could be Elphaba's first love! She had never meant to become attracted to her green roommate, but somehow, everything that made Elphaba… well, Elphaba was amazing and Galinda wanted to confess her feelings right then and there. In fact, she might as well do it!

"Besides, what could Fiyero ever see in me?"

FIYERO?

Galinda felt as though she had just been punched in the stomach and knocked to the floor in the process. Elphaba… Elphaba wasn't talking about her?

"Galinda are you all right? You look very pale," Elphaba said, her voice filled with concern.

NO!

"Yes… I'm fine," Galinda said, her voice wavering almost imperceptively. She handed Elphaba the perfectly wrapped present. "Here."

"Thanks, Galinda. I don't know what I'd do without you," Elphaba said with a smile; a smile that Galinda knew wasn't for her, a least not exclusively. "Well… we should go to class now."

"Y-yes… class…"

* * *

><p>Galinda was never one to pay attention in class, but this particular class went by without her taking a single note. In fact, had she been asked what subject it was, the blonde would be unable to reply. She had spent the whole time shooting furtive glances at Elphaba and the Vinkus prince sitting beside her. What did Elphaba see in him? The green skinned girl had said it herself: he was a snob and shallow and… well, Galinda did not exactly take to jealousy well.<p>

After class, the blonde hung back and watched as Elphaba approached the prince and words were exchanged that Galinda wanted desperately to hear. She watched as Fiyero apparently said something funny that caused Elphaba to break into laughter. It wasn't fair! He shouldn't have been able to make her laugh! That was her job and her job exclusively! Elphaba would still be hiding in that sarcastic shell of hers if it hadn't been for the blonde!

"Galinda, you look like a bristling cat."

The blonde was jerked from her jealous revelries by the voice and turned to see Elphaba looking at her.

"What, me? No! I am not!" the blonde retaliated, perhaps a bit harsher than she had intended.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "All right… calm down. Anyway, you're going to have the room all to yourself tonight."

"You're going? Why? Where are you going without me?" the blonde asked, scurrying after her roommate.

"Nowhere interesting," Elphaba replied, waving her hand.

Galinda felt a bit shunned by that, but just as she had done with all her feelings before, she hid it. "Fine. I didn't want to know anyway."

* * *

><p>Galinda Upland was one woman who did not appreciate being left in the dark. Well, she could fix that by turning on the lamp… but that wasn't the point! Why didn't Elphaba tell her where she was going? She hadn't even been here when her green roommate had left, leaving Galinda to return to an empty dorm room. The blonde sat on her roommate's bed with a huff. Ha, take that Elphaba. Her eyes fell on the green woman's pillow and she picked it up, hugging it close and taking in its scent deeply.<p>

Soap… and charred wood.

Galinda sighed. Yes, that was Elphaba… no one else had that amazing combination. Why… why did she have to fall in love with her roommate? What could Elphaba ever see in her? The blonde took another deep breath as involuntary tears sprung to her eyes.

A sudden knock on the door caused her head to jerk up. She quickly swiped at her tears and stood, going to open the door.

"Oh! You're still here!"

And there she was. The cause of all this was standing right in front of her, that perfectly wrapped present still in her hand. Galinda couldn't help but notice the short black dress her roommate was wearing… Elphaba had never dressed up for _her_.

"Um… did you forget something?" Galinda asked, not wanting her roommate to know that she had been close to crying.

"I did, actually," Elphaba said, coming into the room. Galinda turned to look at her. The green woman looked down at her gift before she held it out to Galinda.

"What? Did you forget the bow or something?" Galinda asked, wondering why Elphaba was torturing her like this. Hadn't she done enough alre—

"This is for you."

WHAT?

"M-me? But… earlier… you said…"

"I couldn't exactly tell you that I needed you to wrap your own present," Elphaba said, looking into the blonde's eyes with a smile.

"But… I thought… you and Fiyero…" The blonde took the present from the green woman and looked down at it, watching as a single teardrop fell on the lid. "Elphie…"

The green woman placed a hand under Galinda's chin, tilting her head up. "It's always been you, Galinda," she said softly before she leaned in and pressed her lips against the blonde's in a gentle kiss.

It had been a year of waiting… and now Galinda had everything she'd ever wanted.


End file.
